Denver's two All-Stars, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, had an off night to say the least. And they still only lost by 10. The Nuggets dropped the season's first rematch against last season's Western Conference finals opponent, and eventual NBA champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-111, in a game that at times didn't even feel that close.
OKC, the NBA's top-ranked team, got off to a hot start, leading by six after the first quarter and extending the lead to a game-high 18 in the third. With 3:11 left to play, head coach David Adelman had pulled the starters and conceded that the game was lost.
Prior to the game, Murray was selected by the NBA as a reserve for the All-Star game, his first in his 9-year career. In doing so, he becomes the first All-Star to play alongside the 3x NBA MVP Jokic. But on Sunday night, neither of them played at their All-Star caliber levels. Jokic, in his second game back and on a minutes restriction returning from a knee injury suffered in late December, played 29 minutes but only scored 16 points while taking just nine shots.
Murray, on the other hand, took 16 shots, making only four on his way to just 12 points. However, both distributed the ball well: Murray had 12 assists while Jokic had 8. This is a positive that can be taken away on a night that saw Cason Wallace sink a career-high 7 made threes to sink the Nuggets.
The supporting cast stepped up admirably
So, while Denver's All-Stars had an off night, the supporting cast stepped up in a big way. Peyton Watson led the team in scoring with 29 points on 11-17 shooting, 5-7 from three-point range, and he had that look you want to see out of your new budding star after his poster on Chet Holmgren, noticeably fired up on his way back down the floor.
That kind of fire and play is going to get him paid this offseason. Julian Strawther hit a couple of big threes in the second quarter to keep it close, Jalen Pickett and Bruce Brown both hit a big three in the third quarter to get the game to within four points. Jonas Valanciunas added 13 points off the bench, and every Nugget except Zeke Nnaji scored last night.
The depth on display bodes extremely well for a future series against OKC in the playoffs. Jokic's absence and the team's injury woes have become a blessing in disguise, and they have allowed the role players and end-of-bench guys a chance to see some real, meaningful game action, which will pay Denver dividends in May and June.